


Dancing with Fate

by ariaquinn



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-26 21:13:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30112107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariaquinn/pseuds/ariaquinn
Summary: Aria Quinn is a soldier and medic for the Survey Corps. Having been a part of the military since the year 840, she is considered a veteran, though she feels she still has a lot to learn. Enthralled by the Titans, Aria dreams of uncovering everything she can about them, while at the same time fighting for a future where everyone can do what makes them happy. In this world, however, that is much easier said than done.
Relationships: Levi Ackerman & Original Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I have been a fan of Attack on Titan since 2013. I sort of stopped keeping up after the second season, but when COVID-19 hit, and the hype for the series began ramping up again, I decided to finish season 3 and begin season 4! I also decided to read the manga as well! My love for the story and the characters was renewed. I have this nagging habit of creating my own characters for stories I enjoy and seeing a new perspective on them (and maybe for a little bit of self indulgence as well lol), and so miss Aria Quinn was born. I hope you enjoy her and her story, and thank you so much for reading! ♥

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The year is 830. Aria is 6 years old; her brother, Milo, is 16. While out getting groceries from the market, something suspicious occurs at their home in the Trost District.

#### Year 830; Trost District

Milo set two baskets of groceries down on the kitchen table. “We’re back!” he called out. “We couldn’t find any tomatoes though. I don’t think they’re in season.”

Aria followed suit, placing two more baskets on the table. She noticed their parents weren’t answering but didn’t think much of it. “Milo, I’m hungry. Can’t I have one of the carrots?” she asked, already reaching for one.

Milo gently bopped her hand. “Aria! Not yet, most of those are for stew.” She let out an _aww_. “I’ll go ask dad. _Don’t_ touch anything, please.”

Aria grumbled under her breath, something about _not fair_ , which caused her brother to roll his eyes before making his way upstairs. She stared at the groceries a while longer, imagining the stew their father made and how good it made the house smell, the taste of the carrots, potatoes, celery, peas, tomatoes, and, if they were lucky, the _beef_. Her mouth started watering. The carrots were right there, she could bite off just the tip and no one would notice…

“ _Dad!_ ”

Aria blinked and looked at the stairs. “Milo?” She walked over and looked up. She couldn’t see him from the bottom, so she began climbing. Once at the top she turned the corner and saw him standing, frozen, in the doorway. “Why did you yell?”

He whipped around, horror plastered on his face. It scared her. “Get away!” he shouted, moving quickly towards her and pushing her back around the corner. “Get back! Go downstairs!”

She looked over to the room he had been standing at, their parents room. It was hard to make out with the backlight shining from the window, but she could swear she saw a liquid of sorts on the floor, as well as someone laying down in it. _Was that dad?_

She almost tripped on the top step as Milo continued to shove her back but was able to catch herself. “Milo, was that dad? What’s he doing?”

Milo didn’t answer her. He stood with an open palm in front of her face to stop her from coming forward, but his focus was back on the room.

“Milo?” she asked again.

He gritted his teeth.

“Milo!”

“Damn it!” He finally turned to his sister, and she only then noticed tears in his eyes. “We’re leaving. We need to find...someone.” He wasn’t entirely sure what he was saying.

“Huh?” She tilted her head to the side. “Just get mom.”

“Come on.” He grabbed her wrist and dragged her down the stairs and out of the house. Initially she tried to free herself, but his grip was too strong, so she gave up and followed along. She noticed his hands were clammy, and the tears had started to fall from his eyes, but his expression was one of fear. What was happening?

He stopped walking suddenly, and Aria bumped into him. “What—” Before she could finish her question, he took off again, and she saw he was headed toward a group of soldiers. Aria took note of the rose insignia on their uniforms.

“Help! Please! My sister and I came home just now...our parents are...dead.” His voice cracked at the end. Aria stared at him with wide eyes. Her heart dropped to her stomach and her knees felt weak. Dead?

Everything that came after was a blur: Milo leading them back to their house, the soldiers rushing inside to assess the situation, Milo pounding his fist on the house and screaming. Aria stayed by his side like a limp doll. All she could think of was her father on the floor. _That must have been blood he was laying in._ His _blood._ She sat on the ground staring at the dirt. They were dead.

***

Aria didn’t remember much of the next few days. The Military Police had come by to do an investigation and determined it had been a robbery, so they suggested the two children stay with a relative. Milo began acting strange after that. He had packed their things and started asking around for someone to take them...somewhere. Aria didn’t pick up where his destination was.

Within two days, however, they were in a horse drawn wagon heading south with three bags of their belongings — one for Aria, two for Milo. Neither of them slept much. 

It took them another two days to reach Shiganshina District. Milo gave some coins to the man who had given them the ride and then helped Aria out of the cart before getting out himself. He slung their bags over his shoulder and gazed down the road as the horses trotted off, contemplating his next move. The Military Police had told him their parents had been robbed, but he was smarter than that. Nothing of significance had been stolen. Their parents’ hidden stash of savings was untouched. Milo knew their parents had not been killed by accident. He looked down at Aria; his priority now was protecting her.

“Aria, listen to me, this is important.” Milo put both hands on her shoulders, leaning down slightly so he could look her in the eye. “Our last names are now Quinn, understand? You are Aria Quinn. I’m Milo Quinn. Look at me, please.” She met his urgent, brown eyes with her own wide eyed stare. “What is your name?”

It took her a moment before she answered. “Quinn. Aria Quinn.”

“Good.” He smiled. It was the first time in a week she had seen him do so. It didn’t last. “Forget our old lives, okay? If you forget, we’ll be safe.”

Forget? How could she forget? She didn’t want to forget their parents. She loved them. Milo saw the hesitation in her eyes.

“Please, Aria, you must. If you don’t, we’ll be killed, too. Do you hear me? You have to forget them. Forget what happened to them.” He was tearing up again.

She didn’t want to talk about it anymore, so she nodded. Milo hugged her and she closed her eyes. She wished that when she opened them, she would be back in her bed again, and this would have all been a horrible nightmare.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years have passed since the incident in Trost. Milo has started his own business as a baker in order to bring in money for him and Aria, but a plague spreads through Shiganshina and Milo is unfortunate enough to catch it. He has something he needs to tell his sister, but her response surprises him.

#### Year 832; Shiganshina District

Aria stood quietly outside of a small hospital holding a green handkerchief in her hands. She wanted nothing more than to be in there with her brother, but the establishment was full of sick people, and both Milo and his doctor forbade it. 

Milo had caught the plague that had been spreading around Shiganshina. Because he was a baker and saw many people throughout the day, it was only a matter of time, but he did everything in his power to spare his sister. Curiously, even though Aria had been around her brother and went to school every day, she was somehow able to avoid it. Milo’s doctor, Grisha Yeager, suspected she had some sort of immunity to it. Still, it was in her best interest to stay away from the hospital; of course, she was too stubborn for that, but had reluctantly agreed to at least not go inside. 

So, every day after school, Aria would go to the hospital and wave at Milo through a window. His bed was too far from any of the windows for them to talk through, so they relied on Dr. Yeager to relay messages between them when he could. She would stay until it was dark and her stomach hurt from hunger, after which she would go home to an empty shack of a house and eat cold leftovers. Milo had made extra bread for her knowing he would be away for a while, and though she knew how to conserve, food wasn’t eternal. One of her classmates’ parents offered for her to stay with them while Milo recovered, but she politely refused, wanting to be in her own home. They still brought her food and checked up on her occasionally though — the idea of an eight-year-old girl alone for weeks on end just didn’t sit right with them. 

It was an entire month before Milo was well enough to come home again. When he returned, he wasn’t quite the same. Aria noticed that he slept more than he used to, became quieter and more withdrawn in general, and seemed to have lost his enormous appetite he had developed as a growing teenager. But, on a positive note, he spent more time with his sister, having developed a new appreciation for life and not taking anything for granted. He loved watching her grow and find new hobbies, including playing doctor, no doubt because of visiting the hospital so often. He noticed she had a new interest in cooking, and he also often stumbled across her humming to herself or scribbling on paper. He’d ask her what she was singing, and she’d shrug. _“Just something I made up.”_ He’d ask what she was drawing, and she’d show him pictures of cats, stars, fields, horses, food. 

“Aria,” Milo said one day while they sat across from one another at the table for dinner. She had made them vegetable soup, and while it wasn’t as good as their father’s, she had insisted on making it herself (with supervision, of course). “What do you think of the Walls?”

She looked up at him. “Huh?”

He smiled softly at her. “The Walls. Do you like them?”

Aria shrugged. “I guess. They keep the Titans out.” She took a large bite of soup. 

“They do. It’s thanks to them we’re safe in here.” Milo looked relieved. 

“It’d be cool to run outside though.”

The look of relief on Milo’s face quickly disappeared. “Why?”

“Well if I want to run here I get stopped by a Wall. It’d be cool to just run forever. I think I could do it, I’m really good at running,” she boasted. 

Milo leaned his elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand. “You think so, huh?”

“Well, yeah. I can run way better than you now. I’m fast at school, too.” 

He looked down at his soup. “I see. That’s why you want to go outside the Wall.”

“I bet there’s lots of trees to climb out there, too,” she pointed out. “I want to climb them all. I can get super high when I climb the ones inside Wall Maria! I wonder what else there is to do out there.”

Milo chuckled. “You clearly got your curiosity from mom.” He sat up and looked at her with a serious expression. “Listen, Aria. I think it’s wonderful that you want to go exploring. But you have to keep that between us, alright?”

She met his gaze, tilting her head to the side in confusion. “Why?”

He paused, deciding how he wanted to word things. “Because the military doesn’t want us to go outside, right? So you have to keep it a secret. They can’t find out that you want to explore.”

Aria frowned. “Okay...but what about my friends?”

“Have you told them?”

“No…” she lied.

Milo closed his eyes in frustration. “Okay. Just...don’t mention it anymore. And don’t tell anyone else. I think…” He lowered his voice and leaned in towards her. “I think that’s why mom and dad died. Mom was really interested in going outside the Walls, but some bad people caught on and they killed her. You understand?”

Aria’s eyes were wide as she stared silently at her brother, processing what he was telling her.

“We’re not allowed to go outside, but mom wanted to. That’s why we had to move away. That’s why I changed our last name. It was to keep you and I safe from those bad people,” he explained.

Aria’s gaze lowered to her bowl of soup. “Oh,” was all she could say.

Milo sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. Maybe you’re too young for me to tell you. I thought you should know the truth though.”

She gently pushed her bowl away. “It’s okay. I’m not very hungry anymore though.”

He idly stirred his own soup. “You can be excused if you want. I’m sorry.”

Aria scooted her chair back so she could stand. Instead of turning to go to her room, however, she went over to her brother and wrapped her arms around him.

“Wha—” Milo looked down at her, caught off guard.

“I think I want to be a doctor when I grow up,” she said.

His brows furrowed. “Wait, what?”

“Well, your doctor was really nice and he made you better again. I want to make people better, too.”

Milo relaxed a bit and hugged her back. _You want to help others. You don’t want anyone else to lose their loved ones like we have,_ he thought. “I think you’d be an incredible doctor.”

“I love you,” she said, hugging him tighter.

Milo buried his face in her dark brown hair, squeezing her back. “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies that none of the official characters have made an appearance yet! They should be in the next chapter :) Again, thanks so much for reading! ♥


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aria is glad to help around the district, but she can't stand being in a cage anymore. She wants to explore. What will Milo think? And will she actually join the Scout Regiment?

#### Year 837

As Aria grew, so too did her curiosity about the world. Because Milo was working less, suffering from fatigue as a result of the plague, Aria began to take odd jobs around Shiganshina when she had turned 10. Anything from milking goats, delivering mail, washing dogs, yard work; whatever she could do to bring in more money, she did with a passion. She was happy to help people, sometimes even going out of her way to do extra at no charge.

Traveling around the district allowed her to satiate that curiosity of hers as well. People told her stories of places they had lived, people they had seen, and some even told her old family traditions and secrets. But living where they did, the stories only satisfied her hunger for knowledge to a certain point. She began to want more, just as her mother had. She wanted to go beyond the Walls. There had to be more than just Titans. 

Not long after moving to Shiganshina, she took notice of the Scout Regiment regularly leaving Wall Maria. While she didn’t pay any mind at first, as her interest in the world grew, she began to wonder about joining them. She often second guessed herself – she wasn’t blind to the fact that they always came back bloodied and bruised and with much less than they had set out with – but when she was a teenager she had made her final decision.

Needless to say, Milo was not pleased in the least.

It caused some tension between them for the next three years while Aria was frequently absent due to training. For the first few months they didn’t write to each other. It was only when she returned home on a break that Milo saw the unwavering determination in his little sister’s forest green eyes, the fear that translated to conviction, the curiosity and need to help others that he finally gave up arguing with her. Though he had a hard time admitting it because he was so afraid of what could, and likely eventually would, happen to her out there, he was still undeniably proud of her. If she was happy, who was he to try and stop her?

#### Year 840

“Recruits!”

Aria and her classmates stood at attention, pounding their fists to their hearts in a salute. She stared up at commander of the Scout Regiment, Keith Shadis, as he spoke. She wondered where the other two regiment commanders were. Since she always knew which path she wanted to take, she hadn’t taken care to memorize their names. Secretly, she wondered if that was why she had ranked 17th in her class instead of one of the top ten.

“I won’t beat around the bush. The Scout Regiment is always in need of more soldiers. Our duty to go beyond the safety of the Walls understandably deters many, especially considering that many don’t come back alive. We charge straight into enemy territory, an enemy we know little about at that. However, if we ever want to take back our land from the Titans, we need you! Make no mistake, they are nothing like the dummies you practiced on during training. They are terrifying and, at times, unpredictable, but without you brave soldiers there will be no one to reclaim our lost territory! We need you to fight back against them! Devote your hearts!” Shadis saluted with fervor. “Those of you who wish to join the Scout Regiment may remain here. Those who wish to join one of the other two branches are dismissed.”

Aria glanced around without moving her head as the majority of her class walked away. Only about seven recruits remained, including herself. She wondered if they were as scared as she was. While she had yet to see an actual Titan, the dummies had at least given her an idea of how big they could get, and knowing their diet, that was enough to cause her enough unease to make her feel sick. She frowned and turned her attention back to the Commander.

“I welcome you all to the Survey Corps.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, a kudos! And more than one hit! Thank you! I did say there would be official characters in this chapter, didn't I? ;) Lol, the more relevant folks will show up next, no worries! Thanks again so much for reading! <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aria has been in the Scout Regiment for only a few days and is already getting her hands on as much information about Titans as she can. In the process, she makes a friend.

#### Year 840; Survey Corps Headquarters

“Wait, this is it?”

In the library of the Survey Corps Headquarters, hundreds upon hundreds of books allowed for soldiers to read virtually whatever they desired. Military tactics and strategies, history, science, engineering, fiction, architecture; there were even gardening books one could indulge in. But one topic was seriously lacking: Titans.

Aria pulled out one of the nine books labeled as Titan research, one called “Titans and Regeneration”, and quickly flipped through it. There were pictures in it which she appreciated, but she still found the overall absence of such an important issue disappointing. She ran a hand through her bangs, frustrated, and plopped down at a nearby table. 

Other soldiers filtered in and out through the library with a notable drought around dinnertime. Aria ignored the hunger pains as she became absorbed in the books about the Titans, having read about their healing properties more than a couple times, as well as about the mystery of their diet and their lack of intelligence.

“Aw, the anatomy book is out…” 

Aria glanced up. A person with wild brown hair pulled into a ponytail stood in front of the Titan section, searching the shelf up and down, no doubt double checking to make sure they hadn’t glanced over the book they wanted. Aria looked at the pile of three books she had stacked next to her, the spine on one reading “ANATOMY”. She bit her lip, debating whether she should speak up or not, before finally letting out a sigh and picking it up.

“Actually, it’s right here,” she said, turning in her chair to hold it out.

The person looked over their shoulder and beamed. Aria noted the glasses. “Ah!” They took the book with both hands and flipped it over to look at the cover. “Thanks! You weren’t reading it, were you?”

Aria shook her head. “No, sorry. I was going to after I got done with the regeneration one. I shouldn’t have been saving it to my…—”

Suddenly, the soldier had leaned in close to Aria, a look in their eyes as wild as their hair. “You’re interested in Titans, too?”

Aria blinked and looked away a moment, a bit uncomfortable at how close they were. “Um...yes.” She looked back at them.

They grinned widely and stood up straight again. “That’s wonderful! Aren’t they fascinating? I’m Hange Zoë, by the way. What’s your name?” they asked, holding a hand out to shake.

Aria took their hand and offered a small smile. “Aria Quinn.”

“Nice to meet you! Mind if I sit?” Hange asked. Aria shook her head. They plopped down in the chair across from her and leaned forward, elbows on the table and hands folded under their chin. “You’re new, huh? Your uniform isn’t all scuffed up, stained, and wrinkled yet.”

Aria lifted an arm and looked at her shoulder, briefly studying the fabric of her tan jacket. “Yeah, um...joined the Scouts a few days ago.”

“Because you wanted to learn about Titans?”

“That’s part of the reason, yes.”

Hange couldn’t help but flash another grin. “What got you interested?”

Aria smiled at them. “Honestly? The mystery.” Hange nodded eagerly. “We hardly know anything about them, yet we fight them because we’ll go extinct if we don’t. It’s so bizarre. What makes them want to eat humans? How did they come into existence? Why can you cut off a leg and they won’t bleed out?” She was beginning to get lost in her rant. “I mean, it sounds crazy, but has anyone ever tried to communicate with them to find these things out?” 

The silence in the air felt heavy. Aria’s cheeks turned red, embarrassed of her rambling, and it took her a moment to finally meet Hange’s gaze. But they stared at her in awe, which only made her face feel even hotter.

When Hange next spoke, it was quiet, but with an intensity that Aria could feel between them. “Aria Quinn, I think we are going to be good friends.”

***

_Milo—_

_How are you? I hope you’re still taking it easy. I should talk, right? Has that one lady that always comes to the bakery had her baby yet? I hope you put extra love into the bread for her, she deserves it!_

_Anyway, things are going well here. I know you’re not very interested in the Titans, but I’m learning so much about them! I haven’t seen one yet since the next expedition isn’t for another couple of weeks. I’m really nervous but a little excited, too. I’ll be sure to visit you before we leave._

_I made a new friend recently. Their name is Hange and I think they’re more excited about Titans than I am. They’re really easy to get along with and fun to talk to. I think you’d like them._

_Oh, I also talked to one of the medics here. They told me how I could get involved in that kind of stuff, so I’m going to see about that this weekend. We have a lot of training and prepping to do this week, otherwise I’d already be in the hospital already shadowing everyone I could._

_Please make sure you’re taking care of yourself! I know you tend to worry about others first, but you can’t do that if you’re dead._

_Love you,_

_—Aria_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hange backstory when?? We don't know when they joined the military, so I just had them already in the SC by the time Aria joined. Hope you don't mind! And again, thank you for reading! ♥


End file.
